Page 76 of Playing Flirty

“Hobbit,” William added, clearly enjoying this.

“Two different hobbit costumes, William.” Neema cackled. “Who hastwohobbit costumes?”

“You’re all mean. There are plenty of hobbits. I could have at least seven hobbit costumes, and it would still make sense.”

“What’s been your most elaborate costume?” Shaun asked.

Before I could answer, Neema said, “Probably thatSpirited Awayone.” She then turned to face Shaun and William and added, “And no, she didn’t dress up as the human characters you’d expect. She chose those little soot ball things.”

“Of course,” William said, laughing, and I just knew he was picturing it. When he looked back at me, he asked, “And your worst?”

“I may or may not have shown up to aTwilight-themed party dressed as Edward, glitter and all, and…” I cringed. “I may or may not have been the only one in costume.”

Shaun’s eyes widened. “No.”

I nodded. “Oh yes.”

“You were Princess Elsa too, remember? For thatFrozenpromotion while we were studying,” Neema mentioned.

“No. I was Olaf because they needed someone taller for the princesses.”

To this, William held his hand to his chest and looked like he may have a heart attack if he didn’t release the laughter he was suppressing.

In the end, he failed and shook with his chuckles. “Surely there were better jobs out there?” William asked after calming down. He was doing that thing where he was entirely focused on me, and Shaun and Neema didn’t exist.

“It paid well! My parents accidentally got locked up in Kenya and needed money.”

This, as usual, launched us into a conversation about my parents and their interesting lifestyle.

“Rose had basically seen the world before she got her first period,” Neema said. “She had the most interesting childhood.”

“A bit too chaotic for my liking,” I replied, shaking away the anxiety linked to it.

“We moved around a few times, maybe four times, but nothing like you.” Neema gestured toward me. “Our biggest move was from Tanzania to the States. But I was a kid, so I don’t remember much about it.”

“I lived in the same house from the time I was born until I moved out to go to university,” Shaun said.

I looked at him and then William. “Gosh, it must be nice having a proper home.”

“It wasn’t my home.” William’s jaw stiffened, and his head tilted downward.

Shaun shifted, tugging on his collar. William’s expression was hard and his scowl deep. I wanted to trace those lines and soften them. I wondered what he was like as a child. Probably a bit of a menace.

“I spent all of my time at boarding school,” William said.

I knew Shaun never went to boarding school. He gnawed at his bottom lip, and his shoulders slumped. My eyes searched William’s, and he stared down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. I couldn’t help thinking about what he’d said under the influence of food poisoning. My heart ached at the distance that seemed to grow between the brothers.

I cleared my throat and changed the subject, hoping to wipe the pain from William’s face. “Anyway, has Fun&Games emailed you at all? I know you forwarded one to me. Was that it?”

William looked up, some peace reentering his eyes. “We’ve been emailing a lot, but there’s nothing for you to worry about. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be playing a game. I can do that.”

“Promise me you’ll be nice to them,” I said, trying to lift his mood. “Even if they use the word ‘irregardless.’”

He smiled.Success!

“I can’t promise that.” He laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“William, you do come across as a jerk sometimes,” Neema said. “Took me a few months of coming over almost daily before I understood you don’t hate me.”

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